Woman laid to rest in coffin made from mushrooms in Australian first
News Source
โขSun, 06 Sep 2026 19:00:12 GMT
๐ฐ What Happened
A woman in her 70s has been buried in a coffin made from mushrooms in New South Wales. It is an eco-friendly first for Australia.
Carolyn was laid to rest on Friday at Springwood Cemetery in the Blue Mountains. Her friends and family gathered to say goodbye. The coffin was made by the Dutch company Loop Biotech. It is grown from mycelium, the root network of fungi, along with hemp fibres.
The coffin grows in a mould and forms in just one week. Once buried, it breaks down in about 45 days. Carolyn's husband David said the choice matched his wife's values of giving back to others and to nature.
๐ The Backstory
The mushroom coffin is often called a 'living coffin'. It turns the body and coffin into rich soil, much like compost. Loop Biotech's founder Bob Hendrikx said thousands of these coffins have been used across Europe and the US.
Green burials are growing in popularity around the world. People want funeral choices that are kinder to the planet. These coffins weigh about 30 kilograms.
Most Australian cemeteries still use traditional coffins, which can take up to 50 years to break down. This burial marks a small but important change for the industry.
๐ฏ Why It Matters
Choosing a mushroom coffin lowers the environmental cost of a funeral. It shows that even the end of life can give back to nature. This could open the door for more green burial options in Australia.
A woman in her 70s has been buried in a coffin made from mushrooms in New South Wales. It is an eco-friendly first for Australia.
Carolyn was laid to rest on Friday at Springwood Cemetery in the Blue Mountains. Her friends and family gathered to say goodbye. The coffin was made by the Dutch company Loop Biotech. It is grown from mycelium, the root network of fungi, along with hemp fibres.
The coffin grows in a mould and forms in just one week. Once buried, it breaks down in about 45 days. Carolyn's husband David said the choice matched his wife's values of giving back to others and to nature.
The mushroom coffin is often called a 'living coffin'. It turns the body and coffin into rich soil, much like compost. Loop Biotech's founder Bob Hendrikx said thousands of these coffins have been used across Europe and the US.
Green burials are growing in popularity around the world. People want funeral choices that are kinder to the planet. These coffins weigh about 30 kilograms.
Most Australian cemeteries still use traditional coffins, which can take up to 50 years to break down. This burial marks a small but important change for the industry.
Choosing a mushroom coffin lowers the environmental cost of a funeral. It shows that even the end of life can give back to nature. This could open the door for more green burial options in Australia.